Adelaide and Essendon have emerged as the first true contenders to lure superstar Melbourne midfielder Clayton Oliver in the potential bombshell move of the 2023 trade period.
The relationship between Oliver and his own club has deteriorated this season, primarily over the handling of his multiple injuries and the rehab process.
Amid those tensions Foxfooty.com.au understands Oliver was late to his exit meeting and didn’t attend a post-season team meeting – the same one Brodie Grundy missed – due to illness.
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But as he begins a seven-year, $7 million deal, the question is who exactly could fit in a player of his calibre – and how did it get to this point?
“I’m prepared to say now that Adelaide and Essendon are two clubs which have shown more than just a passing interest in Clayton Oliver,” reporter Tom Morris said on Trade Radio on Wednesday.
“The Crows have the connection with their fitness boss Darren Burgess, who had an excellent relationship with Oliver at Melbourne – Oliver really liked him, and we know that one of Oliver’s biggest gripes with the Demons … was he feels his troubles this year, his injuries were mishandled.
“Essendon is unashamedly ambitious in trying to accelerate its rebuild now. (Coach) Brad Scott and (list boss) Adrian Dodoro, they want to play finals next year and win finals next year.
“And you might say, isn’t that same for every club? Every club’s different, because some clubs look to the draft and they’re on a build, next year, the year after, the year after that. Essendon feels like it’s got enough draftees; it had three in the top 10 a couple of years ago, that Archie Perkins draft.
“So they’re trying to get better now, and the proof is already in the pudding with Jade Gresham, Todd Goldstein and Ben McKay. They’re not looking for 18, 19-year-olds – they want to be good right now, and they’d like to boost their midfield, as well as either end of the field which they can do with other players.
“The Bombers also have, and I use this term sparingly, a war chest. They have lots of money to spend, Essendon. They really have a war chest … and enough high draft picks.”
He added the potential Oliver move had been making the rounds around AFL clubs in recent days, to the point where club officials were asking their own players for feedback on the move.
“Senior players at rival clubs were actually informed by their list managers of those clubs, a few days ago, of Clayton Oliver’s situation,” Morris said.
“These list managers have been aware of the Oliver situation for a few days, and they have already gone to the players and said ‘what do you think? Can we fit Clayton Oliver in? Would you meet with him? Do you think he fits our team and culture?’
“The fact that senior players already know about this, when I thought it was just list manager to list manager, tells me it is further down the road than what I may have thought even 12 hours ago.”
Adelaide and Essendon each have draft capital to use. The Crows own three picks inside the top 25, the best of them pick 9, plus whatever compensation they get for Tom Doedee’s free agency exit (either an end-of-first-round or second-round pick), their future first-round pick and forward Shane McAdam – who already wants to get to Melbourne anyway.
Seven Adelaide’s Theo Doropoulos reported on Wednesday night Oliver was “open to a move to the Crows”.
The Bombers own picks 8, 28 and their future first-round pick. They could also land another top-30 pick while trading out Dylan Shiel to St Kilda, as has been mooted, depending on how much of the veteran’s salary they’re willing to pick up.
Other logical contenders include Geelong, St Kilda and Sydney.
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Morris reported on Tuesday night “senior teammates have become increasingly more frustrated and concerned in equal measure with his welfare, to the point where Oliver moving away from his Camberwell house and in with captain Max Gawn has been seriously canvassed as a temporary option.
“There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing, only that Gawn would support Oliver through a difficult period.”
He added Oliver had been “frustrated at the club’s medical and high-performance team throughout his long layoff.
“He told friends the Demons should have handled his hamstring injury better. When he had a knee complaint in early September, Oliver elected to visit a non-club physio to receive treatment.
“But Melbourne believed the three-time All-Australian did not show enough professionalism in his rehabilitation.
“Suggestions that Oliver’s foot became infected after he tried to tattoo himself earlier in the year were neither confirmed nor denied by the club when SEN.com.au made formal contact on Tuesday. The club stated he had a blister that had gotten infected.”
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Morris expanded upon the relationship between the club and player on Trade Radio on Wednesday.
“The disconnect fascinates me, it’s clearly been bubbling all year. It’s the first year he’s had to deal with an significant injury, which takes maturity and is hard to deal with, and he felt the club mishandled it,” he said.
“The club felt he wasn’t professional enough with his rehab. The truth is probably somewhere in-between depending on who you speak to, but that disconnect is real and that was has lead to the conversation being where it is at the moment.”
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